04.07.11: Chapter 7 is here, guttersluts and bubblebutts (Shanaynay references ftw). Had a burst of... something that compelled me to write this, as I have not had the best weekend. I had to break up with my boyfriend, and I accidentally killed a hedgehog.
I think the worst thing is that I'm not sure which I'm more upset about.
And please don't slaughter me for using "and" at the start of a sentence. Twice, now.
Anyhoo, enough about my shitty weekend, bring on the reviewer replies.
Gleca: If you look back to Chapter 1, I did explain why Amy left. Some may call me lazy for not expanding further on it now, but I feel it would just be reiterating points already established.
Megan: I'm glad you're enjoying it.
Edith Bradsbury: I've not got long until summer hols, so hopefully, unless I'm stricken with broken fingers or writer's block, more is on the way.
Lady Locke: I might give a bit on where she's been in the next chapter, not 100% on that though.
(No Name): I'm glad you're liking it.
Hime-Miko-Love: Personally, I'd love to go drinking with the Doctor. Not that I would do much drinking, I'd probably just laugh and have fun.
SciFiSlashFreak: Finally, someone who knows exactly where I'm coming from. When she did the sword fighting in Curse of the Black Spot, she redeemed herself slightly in my eyes, but I still don't like her. I just hope I can keep this going in new directions, and not just repeating used plot devices.
Little Girl Geek: It feels kinda nice to be provoking such emotions from complete and utter strangers over a work of fiction that has no effect on the real world whatsoever. Also, what does REAM mean? *Idiotface*
Elle: Please do not die, I've already killed one adorable creature, and I do not want to kill another.
Notaveryaffablerabbit: Let's not resort to murder, shall we? Just be glad I didn't have her say "Okay kids, this is where it gets complicated." That line's getting tired now. In referral to the drinking, what Rory wants, the Doctor will do anything to give.
Chapter 7
"Rory?" said the Doctor and Amy simultaneously as they heard the thud of him hitting the ground. The Doctor and Amy looked at each other, wondering why the other was so concerned for him, before they both rushed over to him. The Doctor knelt by him, turned his head to look up, and gently caressed his face, hoping to elicit a response, but to no avail.
"Is he alright, Doctor?" Amy asked, standing over the pair with a look of worry on her face.
"Well, now's a fine time to start caring about him(!)" The Doctor muttered, not being as quiet as he could've been.
"Doctor! How can you-" Amy started, stopping as she watched the Doctor stand and look at her, with an expression that certainly wasn't happiness.
"Oh, do go on, Amy, and justify what you did. It would be my pleasure to hear you explain your perfectly good reasons for abandoning your husband, and breaking his heart!" the Doctor spat coldly, his voice growing louder as he spoke. The Doctor stood still, nostrils flaring angrily, shocked at how Amy could just turn up and not expect to have to deal with what she did. The Doctor turned away, and knelt back down; scooping Rory up into his arms and lifting him carefully, and holding him as a groom would hold his bride. For a lanky Time Lord, he was strong enough to lift Rory easily. Or maybe it was the anger fuelling him, the Doctor wasn't sure.
"Doctor, I-"
"Save it." The Doctor interrupted, silencing her again. "I'll be back for you, once I'm sure Rory is okay." The Doctor stalked off into the depths of the TARDIS, Amy's eyes following him as he walked.
The Doctor walked with speed and purpose, kicking open the door to Rory's bedroom and placing him gently on the bed. He allowed his hand to drift across the human's cheek, thinking that he might wake up, but still nothing. The Doctor sighed softly, and pulled out the Sonic Screwdriver, giving Rory a quick scan with the device. With the Sonic telling him it would be no more than ten minutes before Rory awoke, the Doctor kissed his forehead, and left the room.
Amy stood in the console room of the TARDIS, looking over all the different buttons and switches and levers, reminiscing times when the Doctor had used them to take herself and Rory to fantastic new places. Despite the situation, she smiled, and stepped towards the console. She reached out and wrapped her hand around a lever, but no sooner had her hand touched it, than the TARDIS groaned angrily, and administered the redhead a small, yet sharp electric shock. Even the TARDIS was angry with her, not that she couldn't blame it, given what she had done to Rory. She waved her hand, trying to rid herself of the stinging sensation, and walked around the console. Once she'd circled it, she leant against the railing, and groaned with her head in her hands.
At the sound of footsteps, Amy turned, seeing the Doctor walk back into the room. She wished she'd thought about how to tackle the subject, instead of remembering days gone by, but she didn't have to think for long.
"Why are you here?" The Doctor asked her, as he leant against the console, running a hand through his mop of hair.
"I... I heard the noise of the TARDIS, and thought I would come and see you." she said truthfully, nervously shifting her weight from foot to foot.
"And you didn't think about Rory?"
"How am I supposed to know how long it's been since you saw me, this is a time machine, after all." Amy retorted quickly, trying to defend herself in a fight she was probably going to lose anyway.
"Nevertheless, you should have thought about him. The man is your husband; he deserved a reason for having his wife abandon him." The Doctor said, making sure to keep his anger in check.
"Doctor, I told you why I was leaving."
"But you didn't tell him, did you? You just left a note. Telling him that you were sorry. He protected your recovering body for two thousand years, and for what? A note." The Doctor said, pulling the crumpled note from his pocket and tossing it to the woman's feet. Amy knelt and picked up the paper, opening it to read the note she'd left behind.
"You kept this, why?" she asked as she stood up, giving the Doctor a strange look.
"For just this occasion, evidence." he said, glaring at the redhead. There was a long silence between the two before Amy dared to interrupt it.
"How... how did he take it?" she asked quietly, almost wishing she hadn't asked, in fear of the answer.
"Now you actually seem to be caring about him again, he was..." the Doctor paused, the memories of how Rory failed to cope, saddening him. "He took it bad, Amy. He cried for so long. He wouldn't eat, he wouldn't come out of his room. It was terrible." he explained, glancing over at Amy to see her covering her mouth with her hand, and a tear rolling down her face.
"Oh, Doctor, I'm so sorry..." she said quietly, disgusted with herself that she could do that to a person. She sat down, staring into space, lost in her thoughts. And as much as the Doctor was angry with her for what she did, he could see that it upset even her. He let out a quiet sigh and moved to sit next to her.
"I've been helping him as much as I can, y'know. I got him eating, got him bathing, got him acting like a normal human being. Well, as normal as someone who's died as many times as he has." the Doctor said, eliciting a small, yet somewhat hollow laugh from the redhead. "I took him on travels, tried to take his mind off of you. Had a slight stumble recently, but I think I fixed it." The two were quiet for a moment before the Doctor looked at Amy. "I meant to ask, how long has it been, for you?" Amy snapped out of her reverie and faced the Doctor.
"Uh, 3, 4 months, I think." she said, rubbing her eyes gently. "How long has it been, in here?"
"Well, considering this is a time machine, I'd say... barely a month." Amy let out a quiet gasp, understanding why Rory had fainted when the door was opened to her. They were both quiet again, the Doctor unsure what to say, and Amy unable to say anything. "I told him you weren't coming back." the Doctor said after a while of silence, bar for the hum of the TARDIS. "Told him you were gone. But that was only from me. Seeing you again, it's knocked him for six." Amy nodded blankly. "Are you still in love with him?" he asked quietly. Amy didn't answer for a while before giving him a small nod.
"I love him, Doctor, I really do."
"But are you in love with him?" he pressed, this time having to wait longer before Amy responded with a shake of her head. "Then you need to tell him that. Hearing it straight from you will be what's best for him. It will hurt at first, but it is what's best." the Doctor explained, standing back up. Amy wiped her eyes and stood up too.
"Thank you, Doctor." she said, quietly, giving him a small smile.
"I'm not doing this for you." the Time Lord replied, turning away to see Rory stood at the top of the stairs, looking down at the two. The Doctor smiled; glad to see that the human was up and about again. "Welcome back to the Land of the Living, for the umpteenth time." the Doctor said with a grin, getting a smile from Rory.
"Uhm, Doctor, can we talk for a bit?" Rory asked, rubbing the back of his head. He wanted answers, and dammit, he was going to get them. But the Doctor smiled happily, walking up the stairs to the human.
"Sure we can, Rory, about what?" he asked as he reached the top, leaning against the railing and giving Rory a charming smile. The human laughed lightly, thinking the Doctor's misunderstanding was funny, whether he'd done it on purpose, or not. Amy saw her husband smiling and laughing, making her almost glad about what she was about to do. Rory was better off with the Doctor anyway, she could flirt like there was no tomorrow, and he got jealous at the sight of her with another person.
"Not with you, Doctor. With Amy." Rory explained to the Time Lord, who looking puzzled as to why Rory had laughed at him. The Doctor nodded and gave him a pat on the shoulder.
"Just pull the green lever when it's safe for me to come back. I don't want to barge in." he said, letting his hand linger on the human's shoulder before he walked away, leaving the two to talk...
As soon as the alarm that the green lever created went off, the Doctor hurried into the console room. He stood at the top of the steps, and looked down at Rory, who was leaning against the doors of the TARDIS. His eyes were shut, his face pointing to the floor.
"Rory?" the Doctor said quietly, making the human aware of his presence. Rory looked up at the Doctor and watched with teary eyes as he slowly descended the stairs towards him. When he was close, Rory stepped forwards, lifting his arms around the Doctor's neck and hugging him tightly. The Doctor's arms came to rest around his waist, holding him closely as he felt tears start to run down his neck from where Rory had laid his head. He didn't need to ask how he was; the Doctor could almost feel the emotion in their embrace. He swore to himself, he would never let anyone hurt Rory again, or he would finish off his last lives himself.
He let the human cry for a while, before he felt the arms around his neck loosen slightly. He let go of Rory, who stepped back and wiped at his eyes with his sleeve. Once again, he had taken on the young, childlike, vulnerable form that made the Doctor's hearts ache. The Doctor reached out for Rory's hand, but the human stepped away. All the work that the Doctor had put into trying to get Rory back had been knocked down in less than an hour.
Rory walked around the Doctor and up the stairs, giving him a wide berth as he passed. The Doctor frowned, wanting to say something that would make things better, but Rory had already gone. He knew the human had gone to his room, but he wouldn't follow. He'd give him time. Let him come back on his own. Until then, he would just have to wait. The Doctor sighed and started pressing various buttons on the console, wishing that his time machine could make time pass faster on the inside, not just on the outside.
04.07.11: I hope you readers like this chapter, and like before, if I think there's something I could put in somewhere that's better, I'll probably throw it in.
As always, reviews are greatly appreciated.
Also, just as a general update, I'm toying around with the idea of a Canis Canem Edit / Bully original character story, and if you like the sound of that, let me know in your review.
See y'all soon.